An unusual archosauromorph archosauriform tooth increases known tetrapod diversity in the lower portion of the Chinle Formation (Late Triassic) of southeastern Utah, USA Lopez, Andres; St. Aude, Isabella; Alderete, David; Alvarez, David; Aultman, Hannah; Busch, Dominique; Bustamante, Rogelio; Cirks, Leah; Lopez, Martin; Moncada, Adriana; Ortega, Elizabeth; Verdugo, Carlos; Gay, Robert J *. Mission Heights Preparatory High School, 1376 E. Cottonwood Ln., Casa Grande, Arizona 85122 *
[email protected] 520-836-9383 Abstract: An unusual tetrapod tooth was discovered in the Late Upper Triassic Chinle Formation of southeastern Utah. The tooth was originally thought hypothesized to belong pertain to Revueltosaurus, but further investigations have rejected that hypothesis. In this paper, we Comment [Anon1]: This is unnecessary unless it was published somewhere else? compare MNA V10668 to other known fossil teeth tooth crowns found infrom the Chinle Formation and identify assign the tooth to the least inclusive clade it may belongs tocurrently available, Archosauriformes, based on the presence of mesial and distal serrations, a distal keel, and a conical mesiodistal profile. Using data found in other publications and pictures of other teeth, we compare this specimen to other Triassic dental taxa. MNA V10668 shares some similarities with Crosbysaurus, Tecovasaurus, and several other named taxa, including a teardrop-shaped labiolingual profile, but possesses a unique combination of characteristics not found in other diapsid archosauromorph teeth. We conclude that it is most likely an archosauromorph and probably an archosauriform. This increases the known diversity of tetrapods archosauromorphs from the Chinle Formation and represents the first tooth of this morphotype completely unique toto be found from Utah in the Late Triassic Period.